CBS Sports uses Orad MVP to analyze controversial plays

January 23, 2009

CBS Sports brought national attention to Orad’s Motion Video Play graphics platform when it used the system to analyze a controversial touchdown after the Pittsburgh Steelers victory against the Baltimore Ravens in a Dec. 21 broadcast of “NFL Today.”

Orad’s MVP technology was used to answer two questions: where did the ball cross the plane of the end zone, and did the receiver have possession of the ball at the time? Existing cameras used to televise the game were inconclusive as to whether Santonio Holmes, the receiver, had crossed the plane while in possession of the ball.

Orad’s staff drew two lines on the field, the first showing the arc of the ball to the receiver. The second compensated for the angle of the camera to illustrate the position of the ball at the point it reached Holmes’ hands. On the reverse pit-cam angle, Orad operators added an arrow illustrating where the ball met the plane of the end zone.

When Orad’s HyperZoom was applied to the two angles, it showed the ball actually inside the plane as a close-up. This proved conclusively that Holmes had scored a touchdown.

In the isolated angle on Holmes, Orad operators applied a HyperZoom feature to the ball in Holmes’ hands to clearly establish possession. The company uses a method of image recognition that allows graphics applied to the field to move with the camera.

A feature of the MVP system is its ability to track multiple objects during key events. Any object, including multiple players from different teams, the ball and the referees, can be tracked.

CBS Sports praised Orad’s technology and said they would like to use it for every game, but the cost is currently prohibitive for such regular use.